Project Mage

Kintovar's mind shifted to the present. A sense of urgency gripped her. The memories of her past retreated into the recesses of her consciousness. She knew that in the present, her creations, Roselle, Risebelle and Runebelle were already created but are in grave danger. The battle against the headmaster raged on and she had a role to play in ensuring their safety.

'Focus, Kintovar,' she thought 'I can't let my past consume me now. Roselle, Risebelle, Runebelle—they need me. I need to find a way to wake up from this dream and rejoin the battle.'

In the midst of the intense battle within her fragmented consciousness, Kintovar’s will to find a way out grew stronger. She knew she had prepared for a situation like this, a secret weapon or trump card that could potentially help her break free from this mind-broken state, but how could she remember it without keeping her mind together?

Kintovar's consciousness continued to unravel and crumble under the relentless psychic assault of the headmaster. Her desperate attempts to remember the command or trigger for her hidden ability proved futile. The overwhelming psychic power bore down on her breaking apart her thoughts and memories like fragile glass.

With a heavy heart and a profound sense of helplessness, Kintovar finally acknowledged the futility of her efforts. The memories, the command and the trump card she had prepared for this exact situation slipped away from her grasp, lost in the swirling abyss of her shattered mind.

"I remember... nothing," she whispered with her being barely audible even to herself. It was a painful admission and surrendering to own limitations. In the face of the headmaster's overwhelming power, there was no escape, no trump card and no hope left for Kintovar.

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The Psychic hands of the headmaster closed around Sybil, she struggled against their grip with all her might. The initial attempt to break free was met with resistance, but she managed to free herself using her strength.

However, the headmaster was not so easily deterred. She summoned even stronger psychic hands which clamped down on Sybil with an iron grip. Sybil's struggle intensified, but the headmaster's power seemed insurmountable.

"You are a threat with that technology," she remarked with her hold tightening. "Your reliance on these inventions challenges the very foundation of our magical society."

Sybil strained to speak but retorted, "You're afraid of change, of progress. That's why you killed all the scientists who dared to challenge the status quo. And that's why you killed Kintovar, because she represented a new way, a future you couldn't control!"

The headmaster's gaze remained neutral, but a flicker of irritation crossed her features. "Dr. Kintovar was a nuisance, an aberration," she stated with a touch of satisfaction. "Finally, she is in checkmate, and there's nothing left that you or anyone else can do to change that!"

The headmaster’s grip on Sybil tightened further. Sybil's struggle continued.

"Finally, I have all of you in my grasp. Watch closely as one by one, you fall."

She continued with a malevolent tone, "I'll save Sybil for last. I want you to bear witness to the end of Kintovar's creations. Roselle, Runebelle and Risebelle. They are abominations, fake mages and nothing more than that. They will be treated like the garbage they are."

With a sinister grin, the headmaster continued, "Once I'm done here, I'll take the energy Kintovar gathered, combine it with my own, and fly to the city. There, I'll spread the news of the Uprising, ensuring that technology never has any place in this world!"

The headmaster raised her hand, her psychic power prepared to unleash the devastating Mind destruction, a heavy silence settled over the battlefield. Risebelle held fearful tears in her eyes along with Roselle. They were ensnared by the unyielding grip of psychic hands and there was absolutely nothing they could do to break free. Nothing awaited them except the impending doom.

"Let this be a lesson,” Aimathema declared with cold authority, "Magic reigns supreme."

The headmaster's malevolent laughter echoed through the battlefield. She raised her hand gathering the energy in it. Her gaze was fixed on Risebelle, who was held captive by psychic hands. The tears continued to drop from her eyes. Roselle was also trapped and overwhelmed with fear. She didn’t dare to look up as she knew what was coming next.

Her hand descended, and a wave of psychic energy surged toward Risebelle, ready to crush her mind just as it had done to Kintovar.

Suddenly, arifle shot rang out with a crackling surge of lightning energy aimed directly at Roselle. Upon the bullet nearing her, Roselle's own lightning powers surged to life. Electric sparks danced around her forming a protective barrier of crackling energy. The bullet struck true and exploded in a burst of lightning sending shockwaves through the air. Roselle's small body quivered with the unleashed power and she broke free from the headmaster's psychic grip, landing on the ground.

A second shot followed. This time a water bullet that homed in on Risebelle. Risebelle's eyes widened as her water magic instinctively responded to the approaching threat. She summoned her power, and a swirling vortex of water enveloped her. The water bullet collided with the vortex, causing a splashing explosion. Risebelle emerged, drenched but unharmed. She broke free from the headmaster's hold.

Ane lastly, another one echoed through the battlefield targeting Runebelle. She dropped to the ground, unconscious but unharmed. The mysterious sniper's intervention had saved her from the headmaster's grasp.

Roselle and Risebelle looked around, trying to identify the source of the shots.

The headmaster herself had no idea what was happening. She looked around with confusion and anger. "Weapons? What in the name of magic is going on!? Kintovar is right on the ground, dead. Who could have...?”

Her words were abruptly cut off as her eyes widened with shock. The headmaster's gaze locked onto a figure in the distance, standing amidst the chaos of the battlefield. It was a figure shrouded in a long, dark cloak with a hood pulled low to conceal their identity.

"Who are you? What is the meaning of this?" the headmaster demanded with her psychic tendrils recoiling as she shifted her focus to this new enigmatic figure.

The figure threw off their long dark cloak. The headmaster’s fury trailed off while she went to try and continue asking questions.

Standing before her now was a girl with bubblegum-colored hair, her medium-length locks framing her face like a vibrant halo. She wore a pink lab coat over a matching pink dressn with black pants underneath. She had a high-pitched tone which was filled with boundless energy.

"Dr. Haras reporting for duty!" she exclaimed, her words with enthusiasm that seemed out of place in the midst of the battle. Then, as if correcting herself, she put one finger up to her lip and added with a playful tone, "Wait... that's not right... I am a scientist, I am here to experiment!"

Risebelle’s eyes widened in disbelief. She watched as Haras made her unexpected entrance.

"Haras..." Risebelle breathed with astonishment and relief. She couldn't believe her eyes.

The headmaster, recovering from her initial shock, seethed with anger.

In the depths of Risebelle's memories, a poignant flashback played out. It was a moment from a time when her hatred for humans ran deep and the unexpected presence of one had stirred conflicting emotions within her.

In that memory, the forest was shrouded in an eerie stillness, its ancient trees towering above like silent sentinels. Risebelle, her blue hair fluttering in the breeze moved with lethal grace through the dense undergrowth. She had completed her objective of eliminating the mages who had invaded the area of Kintovar’s lab. Her heart was filled with a sense of grim satisfaction.

But then, a sudden presence disrupted her focus causing her to whirl around. Her cannon was at the ready. The intruder was Haras herself. Her appearance startled Risebelle and sparked an instinctive reaction.

"Who dares…” Risebelle said with a glare.

The girl was unphased by Risebelle's menacing demeanor and responded with boundless energy and a cheerful tone that seemed out of place in the tense forest.

"Oh, hey there! Sorry to startle you. I was just looking for you," the girl chirped.

Risebelle's eyes narrowed as she assessed the person. "You seek me out? Do you not fear my wrath? Look around you. All of your mage friends are dead…"

The girl chuckled, seemingly unfazed by Risebelle's threat. "Well, that's the thing, I'm not actually a mage. So, no wrath, please! Thank you…"

Risebelle's confusion deepened. "Not a mage? What trickery is this?"

The girl approached with a friendly smile, her energy infectious. "I'm Dr. Haras, and I'm one of your creators. Do you seriously not remember me? I work with Dr. Kintovar!"

Risebelle's hostility wavered as the girl's words sank in. Her creator? The one who had been present with Kintovar during Risebelle's awakening in the laboratory, with that ‘lame elevator joke’ that had infuriated her so much?

"You... you're the one I saw with Kintovar," Risebelle muttered.

Haras nodded, her eyes filled with an understanding and warmth. "That's right! I'm here because I wanted to find you, to talk to you. I know you may not have the best opinion of humans, but I promise I'm not like the others!"

Risebelle's memories of her past interactions with humans flooded her mind—their cruelty, their exploitation of her kind. She had hated all humans, including Haras, but with the undeniable truth of her creator's identity, Risebelle felt a sense of conflicted emotions in this situation.

Haras's laughter broke through the tension and she reached out with a friendly gesture. "I know it's a lot to take in, but we're not enemies, Risebelle. We have a common purpose, and I want to help you to understand that."

Risebelle's consciousness shifted to another memory, one that was shrouded in the darkness of her past missions. She found herself in the depths of the mystic forest.

Her mission was clear: eliminate the mages who went upon the clearing close to the lab. Risebelle was known for her cold attitude and ruthless efficiency and she had a fierce reputation among the mages who dared to enter this territory.

She stealthily dispatched the mages one by one. Her hatred for humans burned like a smoldering fire within her. Each shot of her cannon killed a mage without showing any mercy. On her face was not a grin despite her satisfaction, only a mean stare which if looks could kill alone, she would not need the gun.

When the last of the mages fell, their lifeless bodies crumpled to the forest floor. Risebelle took a moment to take in a completed mission but then amidst the clearing, there was an unexpected presence that sent a surge of anger through her.

It was Haras, one of her creators.

Risebelle's eyes blazed with fury as she confronted her creator. "What the hell you doing here, idiot?"

Haras responded with her usual cheerfulness.

"Oh, Risebelle, always so serious! I'm here to collect some of the mystic forest's energy, you know, undetected."

Risebelle's anger simmered just beneath the surface as she demanded an explanation. "Why didn't you just give me that mission? I could have done both tasks simultaneously."

Haras laughed. "Well, you see, I thought you might enjoy the mages' elimination job. Plus, I didn't want to overwhelm you with too much multitasking. Even if you’re a creation, you still need your own rest and relaxation, you know?"

Risebelle’s face turned to a scowl. "Don't underestimate me, Haras. I am more capable than you think."

While Haras and Risebelle conversed in the memory, their exchange suddenly came to an abrupt and tragic halt. A sharp, piercing pain erupted through Haras's back as a shard of earth energy struck through her body causing her to cry out in agony. Blood began to pour from the wound as she crumpled to the forest floor.

Risebelle's usually cold gaze turned into one of shock and disbelief. For the first time in her existence, she looked truly surprised. The realization that her creator was in mortal danger washed over.

“Haras…”